Boy
by YamiYugi4ever
Summary: He never seemed to be more than a regular young boy. And Ven was aware of that. VenAqua
1. Boy

I got this sudden idea that I wanted to portray, it felt like it could turn out interesting. This will be part 1 of 2.

I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Enjoy!

* * *

He never seemed to be more than a regular young boy.

And Ven was aware of that.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Ven saw nothing remarkable or extraordinary. His body build was not that impressive, his features were round and childish, and though he was still young it'd be a long time before his height could get any better. There wasn't a single thing that would stand out or seem appealing, and he accepted that with a heavy heart.

'There's just no way.' He'd tell himself over and over, like trying to be convinced and avoid disappointment.

Yet no matter how many times Ven scolded himself and intended to forget all about it, he'd lay his eyes on her again, and all previous will he had mustered up to abandon his feelings vanished in an instant.

It was like he couldn't look away, he was entranced, completely charmed by her beauty. Because in Ven's eyes, Aqua was the living image of perfection.

Was it possible to not be captivated? To him, Aqua as a whole was perfect. Her toned yet slim figure, silky blue hair as lustrous as the ocean, delicate features almost crafted meticulously, eyes glistening tenderly like the stars in the sky and a gentle smile that brimmed with kindness. There was not a single thing Ven didn't adore about her.

And how could he not? Putting aside her beauty, Aqua had always been generous and kind to him. From the very beginning, she had been at his side, always worried over his well being making sure he felt safe and happy with his new found family in the Land of Departure. In fact, after falling unconscious once he had arrived, when he finally woke up the first sight he laid his eyes on was Aqua. She had been guarding him for who how knows long, waiting patiently for him to awake again.

It was no doubt Ven was happy in that new world he could call home; he found care, support and love from others that he would cherish forever. But despite having everything he could ever dream of, as time passed, a melancholic longing feeling slowly grew deep within his heart, and whenever he saw Aqua it'd instantly go away.

Ven was no stranger to this feeling, he had fallen in love with Aqua. And that's where the problem lied; how could he fall in love with Aqua, a member of his new family? Surely, she saw him as a brother or even perhaps a son, it was not possible for romantic feelings towards him to cross Aqua's mind.

He knew. He knew there was no way his feelings were returned.

Even if he tried to be positive, going as far as to assume Aqua did not in fact see him as family, Ven knew there was nothing about him that could seem appealing to Aqua in that way. She was a young woman, nearly an adult, and there was no doubt she'd look for different features in a man Ven did not possess.

And if that wasn't enough, Ven had a great obstacle he had to overcome if he wanted to have a chance with Aqua: Terra.

It only made it worse. Terra, his best friend, an obstacle? This was not a competition, and even if it was the last thing Ven wanted was to go against someone so dear to him. There was never a time Terra didn't support him, so these new found feelings felt like betrayal.

There was nothing he could do, he never stood a chance. Ven's heart would always sink inside his chest whenever he saw Aqua look at Terra with such loving eyes, not that he blamed her, but disregarding feelings so strong seemed almost like an impossible task.

Confessing his feelings was out of the question, since there was nothing he'd gain from it. It would most likely ruin his strong friendship with Aqua, and he would place her in an uncomfortable situation he'd rather not even imagine. Though there was still just a small slim chance his feelings were returned, Ven was not willing to take that risk.

All he could do was admire Aqua from afar, content with having her by his side. There was no point in trying, because after all, he was just a boy.


	2. Man

I forgot, but this is my 100th story! Thanks to everyone that has kept on reading my stories :D Enjoy the second and final chapter!

* * *

All so suddenly, the boy grew to become a handsome young man.

And Aqua still couldn't believe it.

Before she realized, time slipped through her fingers in a blink of an eye and the passing of years finally sunk in. How long had it been exactly? More than 10 years probably, but no matter how much she stared in disbelief she could not fathom how suddenly her young friend had transformed into the handsome man she saw today.

Unlike Ven, Aqua hadn't changed that much with the passing of time. Perhaps she had gotten slightly taller, and she had let her hair grow longer than usual, but there hadn't been any remarkable changes to her appearance. It was to be expected, women matured faster than men did and it was no different with her and her friends, but Aqua was still having a hard time believing it.

Those round cheeks and childish features on his face were almost gone, and had been replaced by more mature looking traits. His shoulders and back had gotten wider, and his torso gained a firm posture and muscles. He easily surpassed her now in height, almost on par to Terra, and Aqua had yet to get used to having to look upwards to be able to face him.

Truly, he had grown to become good looking, and Aqua couldn't deny it.

It was strange. Back then Aqua could describe Ven with such words as cute, adorable and sweet; with that child-like appearance and cheerful personality it was almost a given. But now despite still being the same Ven on the inside, different words came into mind when she looked at him. Words wanted to roll off her tongue that she had never thought of when remembering the younger Ventus, it was surreal but exciting at the same time.

Why did she suddenly feel her heart flutter when gazing upon him? The young boy she once knew had never awakened these sensations before, so why now?

Aqua had never thought of finding love, not that she didn't want to, she just hadn't found any suitable prospects of her liking. Though she had Terra and Ven by her side, the thought of starting a relationship with either one of them had never crossed her mind, they were just friends.

It was definitely strange and entirely new to her, but Aqua embraced it nonetheless. She had fallen in love with Ventus.

Back at their renewed home world, after bidding Terra goodbye for the day Aqua stopped Ven from going after him, hoping to talk privately with him. They waited for Terra to be at a safe enough distance to not be heard, sitting quietly while gazing up at the stars.

It had been so long since they spent time together like that, just remaining silent while stargazing, it brought back fond memories to them both. Although enjoying the moment, Ven felt somewhat uncomfortable being on his own with his long time unrequited love. He never gathered the courage to confess, not like he planned to do it anyway, but his feelings were still harbored after so long faintly hoping that someday things could change.

"You've grown up so fast Ven, I barely even noticed." Spoke Aqua breaking the silence, holding his cheek with a loving smile.

Ven chuckled sadly, not helping to feel like those were words a mother would say. "You really think so?"

Aqua nodded, moving her hand down to his left shoulder. "I never would have guessed you'd change so much."

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked somewhat naïve and curious.

Aqua simply shook her head, still smiling. "No, not at all." Looking at them both how they were at that moment, it was hard to guess Aqua was older than Ven by 3 years.

Ven smiled shyly. "Well, no matter how many years have passed, you look as pretty as always."

Taken by surprise, Aqua blushed lightly taking her hand off Ven's shoulder down to her lap. "As always?"

Not embarrassed in the slightest to what he said, Ven smiled warmly, looking down at his clasped hands. "You are really pretty Aqua, you always have been." At seeing Aqua's cheeks color intensify Ven laughed amused. "You never noticed?"

Aqua cleared her throat nervously, and looked back at Ven with a sly smile. "I just never really thought about it." She said defensively, earning a laugh from the blonde.

The atmosphere quickly changed to a relaxed one, and now that they both were at ease Aqua felt it was the right time to bring up what she intended to talk with Ven from the beginning.

"But, what I did think about…" She continued. "Don't you think it's strange, you think you know someone but time passes and you start looking at them differently?" Aqua looked at Ven straight in the eye as she finished, hoping not only that Ven understood what she meant, but that it could somehow convey her feelings.

Ven furrowed his eyebrows confused, not sure what she was getting at. "Different how?" He couldn't say he knew how she felt, since for so many years Ven had looked at Aqua with adoration, his feelings never faltering once.

Aqua frowned disappointedly. She needed to approach the subject in some other way. "As time passes… your thoughts about that someone change." She rephrased, changing her expression to a serious one.

"Why would they?" Ven asked concerned. Had something happened to Aqua?

Aqua frowned, looking back to the sky. Why indeed? Was she so shallow that she fell in love with Ven only after he grew up? Did that mean she loved him only for his looks and not the person he was? Every new question made her feel worse; was that what love was really all about? Of course not. Then why just now did her feelings change?

Thinking further back, Aqua realized this had not happened with Terra. He was good looking, that she could admit freely, but romantic feelings had never been involved. But why? They had started to train together long before Ven arrived, and they got to watch each other grow up and go through different changes. Yet even after that, after witnessing Terra grow into the man he is now, her feelings towards him did not change.

So how was this different? Aqua turned to look back at Ven, who was still waiting for an answer expectantly. She could feel her heartstrings being tugged at the mere sight of those curious yet concerned blue eyes locked on her. Finally she smiled in defeat. "I don't know."

Not sure what to think, Ven frowned confused.

"I don't see why I should deny it though." Aqua sighed content, figuring it'd be best to just be honest and straightforward. "I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but I'm in love with you Ven."

Ven widened his eyes in shock, left speechless. The words would just not come out; his senses were all messed up, not sure how to react. He could hear his racing heartbeat drumming against his ears, and he could feel his face turn hot.

Aqua smiled in sympathy, understanding her confession was sure to leave him in shock. "All this time, you've probably seen me like a big sister huh?"

Ven managed to snap out of his stupor, and breathed deeply to remain as calm as possible. "If only you knew." He admitted with an ironic chuckle. "I've had a crush on you since I can remember."

Smiling in glee, Aqua nudged closer to Ven. "Really?"

"Yeah, I just never bothered to say anything." Ven scratched his nose nervously, surprised that he was acting so calm.

Aqua hummed in thought, trying to recall any moment such feelings were evident or obvious. "How odd, I never even noticed."

"Well yeah," Ven was quick to reply, shrugging his shoulders. "I didn't want to risk anything."

It was understandable; Aqua nodded in agreement, knowing why Ven opted to not even try.

Neither knew what to do next, and their conversation turned suddenly silent, each one hoping for the other to say something.

"So, what do we do now?" Aqua asked shyly, almost in a whisper. They shared confused and awkward glances, both at the loss of what could be the next step. Though it was true they just confessed their feelings to each other, it still needed to be official, or so Ven thought to himself.

Aqua was ready to open her mouth, but shut instantly still not sure what to say. While she was still in thought however, Ven suddenly grabbed her hand, gaining her attention back. "Will you be my girlfriend Aqua?" He inquired with a warm smile, his eyes glistening with hope.

Her breath caught on her throat, and Aqua smiled back heartwarmingly, tightening the hold on their hands. "I will."

They stared at each other lovingly in the eyes, and almost as if they could communicate through their gazes, both leaned forward and sealed the beginning of their relationship with a tender kiss.

In the end, Aqua realized it wasn't just Ven's new appearance that appealed to her. Sure enough, recalling those days they were still students, Aqua realized Ven had always appealed to her as a person. She enjoyed his company, always had a good time and felt at ease at his side. Ven had always been in a special place in her heart, but all he needed was to mature just a little more and become the person he was destined to be.

Aqua was glad she was able to witness Ven grow; one day he was a young cheerful boy with a pure heart, and before she realized it he became the handsome and kind man of today, whom she was hoping to spend the rest of her life with.


End file.
